2023 PCN 'Letter Before Claim' from Gladstones Solicitors

Debtdipped

Hi, I have read the Newbies post, but I'm still left confused on how to proceed. I received a 'Letter Before Claim' from Gladstones Solicitors for a PCN apparently I received on 19/07/2023 for £170 to pay. This is the first I have heard of this! There are no further details besides a street name as the relevant land (no number, town, postcode, or time) and there are two street's in London with the same name, and both I have parked on in the past. This is over 2 years ago and my memory is hazy, but my calendar told me that this is the day I collected the keys from the estate agent and then I moved house at the weekend. So my best guess is that I parked on this street, which is in the controlled parking zone in Ealing, but it has pay at machine usage for up to 2 hours. This is Ealing council parking, but the PCN number does not reflect the council and also the client is Intelli-Park Limited. I am left very confused!!!!

It is not like me to just park without paying and if I had received the yellow PCN, I would have 100% paid it off straightaway! Or maybe I did pay off a PCN, used an old credit card maybe, I just can't remember. In the letter it states that they had previously sent a letter to an old address, well I moved house that week of the PCN, and then immediately updated my V5C log book. I'm assuming in the interim of 1 week, they must have sent it to the old address. Anyway, I'm surprised it has taken them 2 years to write to me and also it is not like me to not pay for a yellow PCN.

What do I do? Thanks.

kryten3000

This will be a private parking charge and Gladstones' letter should have the name of the parking company on it.

Regardless you send them the standard response making sure to confirm your "address for service" and to instruct them to ERASE any older address - you don't want them "accidentally" issuing a claim to an outdated address.

Expect Gladstones to issue a claim whatever you send them, this is their business model - issue claims like confetti and then discontinue the "difficult" ones later on.

Gr1pr

Can't be council if it's a private parking company claimant pcn due to zpan alleged breach of the parking contract on a private property 

Regardless,  use the LoC template response to Gladstones,  because a LoC usually precedes a Money Claim 

Debtdipped

That is interesting that Gladstones are going to issue a claim no matter what. That makes me question whether I should send the LoC template, because at the moment it is £170 and will go up to £255 if they issue a claim. Hmm. I have written the following for now and open to any amendments:

By email to Enquiries@gladstonessolicitors.co.uk

Dear Gladstones Solicitors,

Your ref: xxx

Proposed legal proceedings

Claimant: Intelli-Park Limited

I refer to your letter of claim.

I confirm that my address for service at this time is as follows, and I request that any outdated address and its data be erased from your records to ensure compliance with data protection obligations:

xxxx

This is the first correspondence I have received about this alleged PCN charge on 19/07/2023. It was so long ago, and I have no idea where ‘xxxx’ is and what this is in reference to, there is no further details about the location and time of this alleged PCN. I also moved house to the above address for service on this date of 19/07/2023 and immediately updated my V5C logbook, and therefore, I am surprised that I have not received any previous correspondence.  

I strongly advise your client to cease and desist. You should revert to your client because the 'propensity to pay' score in my case is zero, so any claim is hopeless and a waste of the court fee (whether 'fronted' by your firm or not). Move on to weaker victims. Should this matter proceed to court, you can be assured that these issues will be brought to the court’s attention, alongside a robust defence and potentially a counterclaim for unreasonable conduct.

The alleged 'debt' is disputed and any court proceedings will be vigorously defended.

Yours faithfully,

1505grandad

"Claimant: Intelli-Park Limited"

Is this something to do with UK Parking Control Ltd  -  unless I missed it can't see them on any AoS members list

Xefton

1505grandad said:

"Claimant: Intelli-Park Limited"

Is this something to do with UK Parking Control Ltd  -  unless I missed it can't see them on any AoS members list

I think so, My thread I updated today,

I received LBC today from Gladstones on behalf of Intelli Park, and yet, I've already been to court this year and won against UKPC.

My new PCN, is for the same thing I just defended myself from.

Gr1pr

One thing about any LoC response is to confirm the current address for the service of papers,  because we don't want them issuing against a different or old address,  even if they wrote to the correct address 

Never give them a chance to wriggle out of it, especially because it appears to be a different parking company,  not UKPC  ( Despite the thread title being about the UKPC cases  )

If you want to add something about the previous cases and wins with the claim reference number at the same address then do so, especially if you never received previous paperwork 

Gladstones will do what their client pays them to do, regardless of the facts 

1505grandad

Both Directors of I P are also Directors of several other ppcs including UKPC.

I P incorporated January 2023

Coupon-mad

Intelli-park is a new name used by UKPC.

It was in Parking News a year or more ago. They changed their company name.

So this is another PCN same as the others and an abuse of process to pursue these separately. Say nothing. Let them file a claim in the name of the wrong Claimant. Perfect!

Debtdipped

Thank you for your comments, very helpful! Now I know it is UKPC, this alleged PCN is for the private land where my block of flats is. On the 19/07/2023, I was loading and unloading my car at this time, as I was moving into one of the flats there. I didn't think it was an issue as I was unloading and not blocking any entry, it was right outside the conceirge, who were well aware I was moving in. I just visited that area today and saw that there is a private land t&cs from PCM UK Ltd, the sign may have been different 2 years ago. I don't know if this makes any difference

Coupon-mad

Yep that'll go into your defence if they try a claim, but Gladstones are not known for litigating for UKPC.